World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
John Henry Walker
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Hometown
Wapello, Iowa
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Private First Class. On March 18, 1944, he was inducted into the United States Army at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Transferred to Camp Roberts, California for boot camp and combat infantry training. Served with the First Infantry ‘Big Red One’ Division in the European Theater of Operations. Assigned to Company-E as a Rifleman, Second Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, and a subordinate unit of the Division. His division participated in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest against the German Armed forces (Battle Dates: September 19-December 16, 1944). Reported missing in Action Friday, November 24, 1944 during combat engagement in the area of Schonthal, Germany. Later his missing in action status was amended to read killed in action November 25, 1945. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, a Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, Quartermaster Corps conducted recovery operations and his remains were not recovered. In November 1948, a German resident found some remains in the Hürtgen Forest near Langerwehe, Germany, and notified the American Graves Command personnel of the findings. The remains could not be positively identified, and were interred as an unknown in the Ardennes American Cemetery Neupre, Belgium. In June of 2017 a Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command investigation team disinterred, the unknown. The remains were transferred to the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska were he was identified. The remains of this Soldier were interred with Military Honors, June 20, 2018 at the Elmwood Saint Joseph Cemetery in Mason City, Iowa. He received the following awards posthumously: Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. The Bronze Star, awarded for Bravery, Act of Merit and Meritorious Service in Combat. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.